Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005/Division B/Title V

Salaries and Expenses

 * For necessary expenses of the Antitrust Modernization Commission, as authorized by Public Law 107-273, $1,187,000, to remain available until expended.

Salaries and Expenses

 * For expenses for the Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad, $499,000, as authorized by section 1303 of Public Law 99-83.

Salaries and Expenses

 * For necessary expenses of the Commission on Civil Rights, including hire of passenger motor vehicles, $9,096,000:


 * Provided, That not to exceed $50,000 may be used to employ consultants;


 * Provided further, That none of the funds appropriated in this paragraph shall be used to employ in excess of four full-time individuals under Schedule C of the Excepted Service exclusive of one special assistant for each Commissioner;


 * Provided further, That none of the funds appropriated in this paragraph shall be used to reimburse Commissioners for more than 75 billable days, with the exception of the chairperson, who is permitted 125 billable days.

Salaries and Expenses

 * For necessary expenses for the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, as authorized by title II of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-292), $3,000,000, to remain available until expended:


 * Provided, That in fiscal year 2005, the Commission may procure temporary services for the purpose of conducting a study on conditions of the right to freedom of religion or belief in North Korea, notwithstanding section 208(c)(1) of Public Law 105-292 (22 U.S.C. 6435a(c)(1)).

Salaries and Expenses

 * For necessary expenses of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, as authorized by Public Law 94-304, $1,831,000, to remain available until expended as authorized by section 3 of Public Law 99-7.

Salaries and Expenses

 * For necessary expenses of the Congressional-Executive Commission on the People's Republic of China, as authorized, $1,900,000, including not more than $3,000 for the purpose of official representation, to remain available until expended:


 * Provided, That $100,000 shall be for the Political Prisoner Database.

Salaries and Expenses

 * For necessary expenses of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as authorized by title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (29 U.S.C. 206(d) and 621-634), the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Civil Rights Act of 1991, including services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109; hire of passenger motor vehicles as authorized by 31 U.S.C. 1343(b); non-monetary awards to private citizens; and not to exceed $33,000,000 for payments to State and local enforcement agencies for services to the Commission pursuant to title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, sections 6 and 14 of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Civil Rights Act of 1991, $331,228,000:


 * Provided, That the Commission is authorized to make available for official reception and representation expenses not to exceed $2,500 from available funds;


 * Provided further, That the Commission may take no action to implement any workforce repositioning, restructuring, or reorganization until such time as the Committees on Appropriations have been notified of such proposals, in accordance with the reprogramming provisions of section 605 of this Act;


 * Provided further, That the Commission shall not have fewer field positions in fiscal year 2005 than in fiscal year 2004.

Salaries and Expenses

 * For necessary expenses of the Federal Communications Commission, as authorized by law, including uniforms and allowances therefor, as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 5901-5902; not to exceed $600,000 for land and structure; not to exceed $500,000 for improvement and care of grounds and repair to buildings; not to exceed $4,000 for official reception and representation expenses; purchase and hire of motor vehicles; special counsel fees; and services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109, $281,098,000:


 * Provided, That $280,098,000 of offsetting collections shall be assessed and collected pursuant to section 9 of title I of the Communications Act of 1934, shall be retained and used for necessary expenses in this appropriation, and shall remain available until expended;


 * Provided further, That the sum herein appropriated shall be reduced as such offsetting collections are received during fiscal year 2005 so as to result in a final fiscal year 2005 appropriation estimated at $1,000,000;


 * Provided further, That any offsetting collections received in excess of $280,098,000 in fiscal year 2005 shall remain available until expended, but shall not be available for obligation until October 1, 2005;


 * Provided further, That notwithstanding 47 U.S.C. 309(j)(8)(B), proceeds from the use of a competitive bidding system that may be retained and made available for obligation shall not exceed $85,000,000 for fiscal year 2005.

Salaries and Expenses

 * For necessary expenses of the Federal Trade Commission, including uniforms or allowances therefor, as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 5901-5902; services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109; hire of passenger motor vehicles; and not to exceed $2,000 for official reception and representation expenses, $205,430,000, to remain available until expended:


 * Provided, That not to exceed $300,000 shall be available for use to contract with a person or persons for collection services in accordance with the terms of 31 U.S.C. 3718;


 * Provided further, That, notwithstanding any other provision of law, not to exceed $101,000,000 of offsetting collections derived from fees collected for premerger notification filings under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (15 U.S.C. 18a), regardless of the year of collection, shall be retained and used for necessary expenses in this appropriation;


 * Provided further, That $21,901,000 in offsetting collections derived from fees sufficient to implement and enforce the Telemarketing Sales Rule, promulgated under the Telephone Consumer Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act (15 U.S.C. 6101 et seq.), shall be credited to this account, and be retained and used for necessary expenses in this appropriation;


 * Provided further, That the sum herein appropriated from the general fund shall be reduced as such offsetting collections are received during fiscal year 2005, so as to result in a final fiscal year 2005 appropriation from the general fund estimated at not more than $82,529,000;


 * Provided further, That none of the funds made available to the Federal Trade Commission may be used to enforce subsection (e) of section 43 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1831t) or section 151(b)(2) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991 (12 U.S.C. 1831t note).

Salaries and Expenses

 * For necessary expenses of the HELP Commission, $1,000,000, to remain available until expended.

Payment to the Legal Services Corporation

 * For payment to the Legal Services Corporation to carry out the purposes of the Legal Services Corporation Act of 1974, $335,282,000, of which $316,604,000 is for basic field programs and required independent audits; $2,573,000 is for the Office of Inspector General, of which such amounts as may be necessary may be used to conduct additional audits of recipients; $13,000,000 is for management and administration; $1,272,000 is for client self-help and information technology; and $1,822,000 is for grants to offset losses due to census adjustments:


 * Provided, That not to exceed $1,000,000 from amounts previously appropriated under this heading may be used for a student loan repayment pilot program.

Administrative Provision—Legal Services Corporation

 * None of the funds appropriated in this Act to the Legal Services Corporation shall be expended for any purpose prohibited or limited by, or contrary to any of the provisions of, sections 501, 502, 503, 504, 505, and 506 of Public Law 105-119, and all funds appropriated in this Act to the Legal Services Corporation shall be subject to the same terms and conditions set forth in such sections, except that all references in sections 502 and 503 to 1997 and 1998 shall be deemed to refer instead to 2004 and 2005, respectively, and except that section 501(a)(1) of Public Law 104-134 (110 Stat. 1321-51 et seq.) shall not apply to the use of the $1,833,000 to address loss of funding due to Census-based reallocations.

Salaries and Expenses

 * For necessary expenses of the Marine Mammal Commission as authorized by title II of Public Law 92-522, $1,890,000.

National Veterans Business Development Corporation

 * For necessary expenses of the National Veterans Business Development Corporation as authorized under section 33(a) of the Small Business Act, $2,000,000, to remain available until expended.

Salaries and Expenses

 * For necessary expenses for the Securities and Exchange Commission, including services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109, the rental of space (to include multiple year leases) in the District of Columbia and elsewhere, and not to exceed $3,000 for official reception and representation expenses, $913,000,000, to remain available until expended; of which not to exceed $10,000 may be used toward funding a permanent secretariat for the International Organization of Securities Commissions; and of which not to exceed $100,000 shall be available for expenses for consultations and meetings hosted by the Commission with foreign governmental and other regulatory officials, members of their delegations, appropriate representatives and staff to exchange views concerning developments relating to securities matters, development and implementation of cooperation agreements concerning securities matters and provision of technical assistance for the development of foreign securities markets, such expenses to include necessary logistic and administrative expenses and the expenses to Commission staff and foreign invitees in attendance at such consultations and meetings including:
 * (1) such incidental expenses as meals taken in the course of such attendance;
 * (2) any travel and transportation to or from such meetings; and
 * (3) any other related lodging or subsistence:


 * Provided, That fees and charges authorized by sections 6(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77f(b)), and 13(e), 14(g) and 31 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78m(e), 78n(g), and 78ee), shall be credited to this account as offsetting collections;


 * Provided further, That not to exceed $856,000,000 of such offsetting collections shall be available until expended for necessary expenses of this account;


 * Provided further, That $57,000,000 shall be derived from prior year unobligated balances from funds previously appropriated to the Securities and Exchange Commission;


 * Provided further, That the total amount appropriated under the heading from the general fund for fiscal year 2005 shall be reduced as such offsetting fees are received so as to result in a final total fiscal year 2005 appropriation from the general fund estimated at not more than $0.


 * Not later than May 1, 2005, the Securities and Exchange Commission shall submit a report to the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate the provides a justification for final rules issued by the Commission on June 30, 2004 (amending title 17, Code of Federal Regulations, parts 239, 240, and 274), requiring that the chair of the board of directors of a mutual fund be an independent director:


 * Provided, That such report shall analyze whether mutual funds chaired by disinterested directors perform better, have lower expenses, or have better compliance records than mutual funds chaired by interested directors;


 * Provided further, That the Securities and Exchange Commission shall act upon the recommendations of such report not later than January 1, 2006.

Salaries and Expenses

 * For necessary expenses, not otherwise provided for, of the Small Business Administration as authorized by Public Law 106-554, including hire of passenger motor vehicles as authorized by 31 U.S.C. 1343 and 1344, and not to exceed $3,500 for official reception and representation expenses, $322,335,000:


 * Provided, That the Administrator is authorized to charge fees to cover the cost of publications developed by the Small Business Administration, and certain loan servicing activities;


 * Provided further, That notwithstanding 31 U.S.C. 3302, revenues received from all such activities shall be credited to this account, to be available for carrying out these purposes without further appropriations;


 * Provided further, That $89,000,000 shall be available to fund grants for performance in fiscal year 2005 or fiscal year 2006 as authorized;


 * Provided further, That the Small Business Administration is authorized to award grants under the Women's Business Center Sustainability Pilot Program established by section 4(a) of Public Law 106-165 (15 U.S.C. 656(l));


 * Provided further, That, of the amounts provided for Women's Business Centers, not less than 48 percent shall be available to continue Women's Business Centers in sustainability status.

Office of Inspector General

 * For necessary expenses of the Office of Inspector General in carrying out the provisions of the Inspector General Act of 1978, $13,014,000.

Surety Bond Guarantees Revolving Fund

 * For additional capital for the Surety Bond Guarantees Revolving Fund, authorized by the Small Business Investment Act, as amended, $2,900,000, to remain available until expended.

Business Loans Program Account

 * For the cost of direct loans, $1,455,000, to remain available until expended:


 * Provided, That such costs, including the cost of modifying such loans, shall be as defined in section 502 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974;


 * Provided further, That subject to section 502 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, during fiscal year 2005 commitments to guarantee loans under section 503 of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958, shall not exceed $5,000,000,000;


 * Provided further, That subsection 503(f) of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 (15 U.S.C. 697(f)), as amended by section 2 of Public Law 108-217, is further amended by striking "October 1, 2004" and inserting "October 1, 2005";


 * Provided further, That during fiscal year 2005 commitments for general business loans authorized under section 7(a) of the Small Business Act, shall not exceed $16,000,000,000;


 * Provided further, That during fiscal year 2005 commitments to guarantee loans for debentures and participating securities under section 303(b) of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958, shall not exceed the levels established by section 20(i)(1)(C) of the Small Business Act;


 * Provided further, That during fiscal year 2005 guarantees of trust certificates authorized by section 5(g) of the Small Business Act shall not exceed a principal amount of $10,000,000,000.


 * In addition, for administrative expenses to carry out the direct and guaranteed loan programs, $126,653,000, which may be transferred to and merged with the appropriations for Salaries and Expenses.

Disaster Loans Program Account

 * For administrative expenses to carry out the direct loan program authorized by section 7(b), of the Small Business Act, $113,159,000, which may be transferred to and merged with appropriations for Salaries and Expenses, of which $500,000 is for the Office of Inspector General of the Small Business Administration for audits and reviews of disaster loans and the disaster loans program and shall be transferred to and merged with appropriations for the Office of Inspector General; of which $104,409,000 is for direct administrative expenses of loan making and servicing to carry out the direct loan program, to remain available until expended; and of which $8,250,000 is for indirect administrative expenses:


 * Provided, That any amount in excess of $8,250,000 to be transferred to and merged with appropriations for Salaries and Expenses for indirect administrative expenses shall be treated as a reprogramming of funds under section 605 of this Act and shall not be available for obligation or expenditure except in compliance with the procedures set forth in that section.

Administrative Provision—Small Business Administration

 * Not to exceed 5 percent of any appropriation made available for the current fiscal year for the Small Business Administration in this Act may be transferred between such appropriations, but no such appropriation shall be increased by more than 10 percent by any such transfers:


 * Provided, That any transfer pursuant to this paragraph shall be treated as a reprogramming of funds under section 605 of this Act and shall not be available for obligation or expenditure except in compliance with the procedures set forth in that section.

Salaries and Expenses

 * For necessary expenses of the State Justice Institute, as authorized by the State Justice Institute Authorization Act of 1992 (Public Law 107-572), $2,613,000:


 * Provided, That not to exceed $2,500 shall be available for official reception and representation expenses.

Salaries and Expenses

 * For necessary expenses of the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission, $3,000,000, including not more than $5,000 for the purpose of official representation, to remain available until expended.

Operating Expenses

 * For necessary expenses of the United States Institute of Peace as authorized in the United States Institute of Peace Act, $23,000,000:


 * Provided, That $1,500,000 is for necessary expenses for the Task Force on the United Nations;


 * Provided further, That the Task Force on the United Nations shall submit a report on its findings to the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and Senate not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.

Salaries and Expenses

 * For necessary expenses of the United States Senate-China Interparliamentary Group, as authorized under section 153 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004 (22 U.S.C. 276n; Public Law 108-199; 118 Stat. 448), $100,000, to remain available until expended.